Well they actually know who is making their nibs, which right away puts them ahead of Visionaire. Also, they are filling their sample pen with ink meant for fountain pens. They've had a kickstarter last year that was apparently successful, as I'm not seeing a horde of post-delivery complaints.

That being said, I have no shortage of minimalistic pens so I will probably pass on this one.

The devil on my shoulder thinks the pitch spiel is not reflected in the design & options. It's not my bag at all - I feel my creativity would be hindered by a slippery metal section, the cap rolling off the table, and cleaning the cap threads all the time. There is a market for this sort of thing, though.

It seems they list three filling methods: cartridge, converter straight into the bottle, and converter attached to the section into the bottle. Thats still two: cartridge and converter. its a C/C pen, guys, dont make it into something it isnt.

I'll definitely take a pass. Huge ridges on the section, a cap that is small and will roll around, and heavy machined aluminum. It seems like every few months there is a kickstarter like this for a big hunk of machined aluminum with a nib slapped on the end. How the heck does it take you 6 months to develop that?

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It seems they list three filling methods: cartridge, converter straight into the bottle, and converter attached to the section into the bottle. Thats still two: cartridge and converter. its a C/C pen, guys, dont make it into something it isnt.

Fill that pen from a bottle, you will likely get ink all over the cap-to-section threads, and consequently ink stained fingers.

Between Worther, Lamy and Diplomat the minimalist pen corner is already covered and between them there are some really nice looking pens so I think I will pass too and save my money up for a Worther Profil and Diplomat Balance as I've been after these two for a while.

This doesn't feel minimalist to me. A big, big pen (nothing slim) and all metal?

That weird gap between the nib and the rest of the body. The threading that high up on the body? One dent, and its bye-bye nib.

That's very minimalist. No band, no contrasting colors, no flashy furniture. Minimalist doesn't mean small and I, for one, applaud that. I don't care for a too-slender pen and I appreciate less flashy styling.

And, if you can dent a metal cap that deeply, that easily, you'll be shattering the plastic cap on a typical pen with the same action.

Translation: We couldn't be bothered to figure out how to post it.

Bull. This is just a design decision. Pure and simple.

I almost NEVER post a pen. Don't like the balance of most pens posted, with the exception of a few that were obviously meant to be written ONLY posted, like the Pilot Petit (and the Prera, for that matter). I have never seen a pen where it's a choice, and both ways work. In my collection, either it feels nice posted, or it works better unposted. Not both.

The lack of clip I guess could be considered minimalist, but again not useful.

Do you EVER carry a fountain pen around in your shirt pocket? Again, in my estimation most clips are only roll-stoppers (since I don't post most of the time) and ornaments to make things prettier. I'm sure SOME people carry a fountain pen in their pockets, but a lot of us never do.

If it is minimal, why isn't it an eyedropper?

Because the styling is what's minimalist.

And also because eyedroppers are a pain in the ass. A converter and cartridge system is modern and you can get ink refills for it anywhere. Eyedroppers are for aficionados, people who want a LOT of ink in their pen, and people who don't mind the extra effort of maintaining them. In my case, I think it is SO much easier to travel with a couple of cartridges to refill a spent pen than to travel with an ink bottle, eyedropper, and all the accompanying hassles of refilling and resealing an eyedropper pen.

Considering that you're railing on these guys for not adding enough features, maybe you can give them a break for accepting converters and cartridges rather than just making it an eyedropper, which is pretty much the least amount of work they could do.

This pen seems to be minimalist as in "the minimal amount of work we could do."

You really have a beef with these guys, don't you?

If you like a pen that posts, or that has a clip, or that doesn't use a converter, then this isn't for you. And that's awesome, because there are as many styles of pen as you can imagine. But just because these guys have a different aesthetic to your own, doesn't mean they are out to make a piece of (bleep). Yet, for some reason, you seem to want to pick them apart for rather ridiculous reasons.

It's a $40 pen made of aluminum with a high-quality modern nib. You like it, you don't, whatever. But it really seems like a pretty good price for a simple pen that is likely to work just fine.

It's not my cup of tea in terms of design, I'm wondering if they're going with a Bock #5 or #6 nib for that pen. Might open up some more options if anyone is really into that raw machined metal look (which there are a number of options out there, just more in the 80$+ range).

And in regards to the Titanium nibs (if they hit their goal)... any real benefits to that?

Also that general grip area seems too uncomfortable to be used on a regular basis for the "writing" experience.

If you like a pen that posts, or that has a clip, or that doesn't use a converter, then this isn't for you. And that's awesome, because there are as many styles of pen as you can imagine. But just because these guys have a different aesthetic to your own, doesn't mean they are out to make a piece of (bleep). Yet, for some reason, you seem to want to pick them apart for rather ridiculous reasons.

It's a $40 pen made of aluminum with a high-quality modern nib. You like it, you don't, whatever. But it really seems like a pretty good price for a simple pen that is likely to work just fine.

Though for $40 (of which is only for the early backers, so I'm guessing not the normal selling price) I can think of a few other offerings that are more comfortable to write with in longer sessions and comes with the same Bock nibs.

Yea I was thinking the same thing, in which case the cap should least have a clip of some sort so you can put the cap *somewhere* where it's not just going to roll off. Perhaps it needs to be made of thicker aluminum, because you're going to be dropping it often (which begs the question... how sealed is the cap from ink being knocked around, or the converter popping off the nipple).

For those of you keeping score at home, the project has now brought in over £3,000 in pledges, or over 30% of its goal. By Kickstarter's statistics, that means it's 90% likely to reach its goal and fund.

For those of you keeping score at home, the project has now brought in over £3,000 in pledges, or over 30% of its goal. By Kickstarter's statistics, that means it's 90% likely to reach its goal and fund.

But if the only people to buy it are the backers for the discount, then how is this any different than just MassDrop in the long run? Other than being machined metal in a pen, it doesn't strike me as much different from the offerings you can get from Faber-Castell for around the same intended price (ie: not taking into account the 'early' backer discount). .

Personally if it does reach it's goal that's great, but they may want to consider making the grip section more sleek and comfortable looking, least that would truly be more minimalistic. (plus being able to post it, or at least a clip if you can't post it would be a better route, otherwise you got a loose piece you have to keep track of that could just roll away)

Also wouldn't minimalism be more like a capless with a button filler behind a blind cap? no need to take apart etc, just dip, pump it a few times and write.

This doesn't feel minimalist to me. A big, big pen (nothing slim) and all metal?

That weird gap between the nib and the rest of the body. The threading that high up on the body? One dent, and its bye-bye nib.

Translation: We couldn't be bothered to figure out how to post it.

The lack of clip I guess could be considered minimalist, but again not useful.

If it is minimal, why isn't it an eyedropper?

Minimalist means that a lot of careful thought and planning goes into making a smooth, clean look. It takes a lot of work to hide the details.

This pen seems to be minimalist as in "the minimal amount of work we could do."

Agreed! Not my style, and not terribly functional in design. On a personal note, I think most unsightly clips are paired with unsightly pens, but the vast majority of pen makers put some good thought into clips that pass both the form and function tests.

IMO, this marketing copy doesn't seem to reflect that the makers have broad fountain pen experience, either using them or designing them.

Well, I have seen less attractive pens.... But those sort of ridges (speed divots?) look kind of uncomfortable to hold. Okay, admittedly I have a similar issue with Lamy Safaris -- but those at least have a semblance of being attractive, and truly, what *I* would call minimalist.

I'm really kinda skeptical about the (alleged) ability to handle both Parker and non-Parker (International Standard?) converters. I've got some weird non-standard slide converter that came in a Parker Vector I got on Ebay. I'm not sure the thing fits right and as a result it seems to be leaking; but I also tried a converter I already had that I know *is* Parker brand, and *it* didn't fit either. So that is Yet Another Pen that probably gets an all expense paid excursion to DCSS to cruise the repair tables....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."